The Avoyelles Parish Library recently shared its calendar of events for the month of February.
Saturday, Feb. 14 – 1pm – Dungeons and Dragons at the Marksville branch.
Monday, Feb. 16 – 1pm – Mardi Gras Crafts at the Marksville branch.
Tuesday, Feb. 17 – Closed for Mardi Gras.
Monday, Feb. 23 – 1:30pm – Teen Art Workshop at the Bunkie branch.
Tuesday, Feb. 24 – 5pm – Tales & Ales at Broken Wheel Brewery in Marksville; this month’s work is Toni Morrison’s short story “Recitatif” (adults only).
Saturday, Feb. 28 – 11am – Children’s Storytime at the Marksville branch.
Saturday, Feb. 28 – 1pm – Dungeons and Dragons at the Marksville branch.
APL also reminds the community that the Chess Club meets every Tuesday at the Bunkie branch 4-6pm.
There will also be a special event this month on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2pm. The NAACP Avoyelles Branch will host its 2nd annual banquet Honoring African American Educators at the Couchon De Lait Pavilion in Mansura. The special guest speaker will be Congressman Cleo Fields. Attire is formal or African dress. For more information call 318-305-8860 or 318-359-7020 or send an email to Avoyelles.naacp@gmail.com.
Everyone’s racing to hit the Assumptions button like it’s a reflex… while the big red FACTS buzzer just sits there, untouched.
Cue the game show music. Cue the dramatic pause.
Wrong answer, but thanks for playing.
In real life, jumping to conclusions doesn’t win prizes — it just spreads confusion. Accountability starts when we slow down, check the facts, and resist the urge to react first and think later.
Notice is hereby given that at its meeting to be held on Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 5pm at the Avoyelles Parish School System Central Office (221 Tunica Drive West, Marksville, LA), the Parish School Board of the Parish of Avoyelles, State of Louisiana, plans to consider adopting a resolution ordering and calling elections to be held in (i) the Parish of Avoyelles, State of Louisiana, for school purposes, to authorize the levy of a sales and use tax therein and (ii) Parishwide School District of the Parish of Avoyelles, State of Louisiana, to authorize the levy of ad valorem taxes therein.
The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (LWFC) ratified a Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Secretarial Declaration of Emergency (DE) expanding the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Control Area in east central Louisiana. The action came during the Thursday, Feb. 5, monthly commission meeting in Baton Rouge.
The DE was issued Jan. 9 in response to a confirmed CWD detection in a hunter-harvested white-tailed buck in Concordia Parish on Richard K. Yancey Wildlife Management Area (WMA).
The new Control Area includes all of Catahoula and Concordia parishes and portions of Avoyelles, LaSalle, Pointe Coupee and Rapides parishes. The existing CWD control area was expanded to include these new areas.
It restricts baiting and feeding within the CWD Control Area. The portions of the CWD Control Area referred to as the Enhanced Mitigation Zone and Buffer Zone include varying restrictions on bait. While baiting and feeding are prohibited within the Enhanced Mitigation Zone, baiting is allowed within the CWD Buffer Zone through methods explained in the DE. In addition, deer carcass transport rules are included that prohibit the export of certain deer parts. Click here to see the full DE and map.
LDWF has also implemented its CWD Response Plan and will continue ongoing CWD surveillance efforts in the area. A NOI will be introduced to promulgate permanent rules for the CWD control area while this action is in effect.
The 3.5-year-old buck was voluntarily submitted for sampling and later confirmed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa in January 2026. The detection is the first confirmed CWD positive in Concordia Parish.
The first CWD-positive deer was detected in Louisiana in 2022. At present, 53 CWD-positive deer have been detected, which include a single detection in both Catahoula and Concordia parishes, with the remaining detections from Tensas Parish.
There is no statewide feeding ban included in this action.
CWD is infectious, always fatal, and has no treatment. CWD is part of a group of diseases know as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). These diseases cause irreversible damage to brain tissue in deer, which leads to excessive salivation, neurological symptoms, emaciation, and death of the animal. Additionally, CWD is shed by infected deer onto the landscape and can persist in the environment indefinitely, spreading the disease to other deer. Emergency action is required to mitigate further spread of the disease.
Although CWD has not been shown to be contagious to humans, the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization recommend against the human consumption of deer known to be infected with CWD. Also, it is recommended that people hunting in areas known to harbor CWD-infected deer have their deer tested for the disease prior to consuming the animals. LDWF will provide testing for hunter-harvested deer free of charge.
For more information and control area maps on CWD, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.
Lately, during the extremely cold weather that we experienced a couple of weeks ago, I took some time to watch a few fishing podcasts. There are a handful of programs that I follow from top anglers within the world of professional bass fishing.
One of these is “After the Cast” with Major League Fishing pros Andy Montgomery, Edwin Evers and Ott DeFoe, strong personalities and great reputations for not only being outstanding anglers, but good Christians.
Their podcast is a behind the scenes look at the daily rigors that tournament anglers go through from the travel they face, to practice and tournament days.
But they’ll also sit down and talk about hot topics going on in bass fishing. They’re not afraid to voice their opinions and share their thoughts which makes the podcast very interesting to watch.
Another podcast I follow is “Zaldangerous,” also known as “The Bilge,” a program with Elite Series angler and Texas pro Chris Zaldain and his wife, Trait. These two do not shy away from controversial topics and are not afraid to challenge the establishments of B.A.S.S. or Major League Fishing (MLF) when it comes to rules violations or recent decisions that have been made with regards to a tournament organization.
Both podcasts, “After the Cast” and “Zaldangerous,” are programs that anyone would enjoy. They’re both great at shedding light on the hot topics in professional bass fishing while discussing possible solutions.
These are people “living the dream” by fishing for a living. They travel like gypsies and caravan across the country, fishing the best fisheries in America. They discuss today’s anglers and how to navigate the demands of professional bass fishing.
But their biggest concern is trying to provide for their families as a pro fisherman. So many of today’s anglers face obstacles that previous generations did not. First and foremost, how to navigate social media. This is a problem the older generation of anglers never had to deal with.
All three professional bass tournament organizations require that all anglers participate in social media. This can be in many forms like a podcast, Facebook page, YouTube videos, Tik Tok or maybe an Instagram account.
In today’s business world, it’s important that anglers have a social media presence as a way of promoting sponsor product and themselves as well. Of course, we all know that social media can be a place of controversy with people who are looking to discredit or cast blame on others for a particular situation.
Having a great social media presence is all about how many “clicks” or “likes” you’re getting with the posts you’re making. A really good account can translate into valuable dollars. It’s also another avenue where anglers can make money to help supplement their income.
But here’s a question — can the average angler make it as a professional bass fisherman today? The biggest issue facing anglers today are with sponsors; there just are not enough to go around. Sponsors are a critical part of how anglers make a living and provide for their families. Tournament winnings are just a bonus for anglers and are not factored into their annual budgets.
The fishing industry in general is just not big enough to support all the anglers looking to fish professionally. Most are stretched very thin with regards to how many anglers they can afford to sponsor.
The industry is short on sponsorship dollars with there being three major professional bass fishing organizations — Major League Fishing (MLF), B.A.S.S. and the new National Professional Fishing League (NPFL).
Anglers today are having to think outside the box and look at nonendemic companies that may have never had a presence in the bass fishing market.
Back during the old FLW days (2000 to 2012), there was Walmart, Land of Lakes, Kellogg’s, Snickers, Castro Motor Oil and many more that sank huge amounts of money into many of the old FLW Tour anglers.
But ever since the demise of the FLW Tour around 2012, these sponsors have chosen to walk away and are no longer interested in this market, leaving a huge sponsorship void for anglers to pursue.
Less sponsors means a bigger strain on anglers’ budgets as they try to navigate the costs involved with making a living as a professional.
Bottom line is this: with a shortage of sponsors it makes it very difficult for the average angler to participate on the professional level. It’s sad but it’s starting to look like only those anglers who have money, have a good financial support system like mom or dad, or wealthy grandparents will be the anglers who can compete on bass fishing’s highest level.
As the old saying goes, “money can’t buy happiness,” but it can buy you a spot on a bass pro tour!
In 1957, after years of bit parts in numerous films and television shows, Thomas was cast as Lana Turner’s love interest in the film “Another Time, Another Place.” In the second week of October 1957, Lana’s boyfriend Johnny Stompanato, a former marine who was a bodyguard and enforcer for mob boss Mickey Cohen, flew from Los Angeles to Cornwall, England, to be with her for the remainder of filming. For three months, Johnny watched from the sideline as the chemistry between Thomas and Lana grew. Thomas and Lana played their parts so well for the camera that Johnny became increasingly suspicious and jealous. Around New Year’s Day 1958, while Lana and Thomas were filming an intimate scene, Johnny’s jealousy could take no more. He rushed on screen, pointed a pistol at Thomas’s head, and threatened him to stay away from Lana. In a split-second move, Thomas forcefully disarmed Johnny. Thomas was aware of Johnny’s underworld connections and knew to expect a reprisal of some sort.
Lana was not a pushover by any means. When her marriage to Lex Barker broke down six months earlier, she forced him at gunpoint to leave her home. Lana had Johnny removed from the film set and contacted police who quickly deported Johnny from England. He was back in Hollywood by January 4, 1958. Despite this incident, Lana and Johnny remained on speaking terms. According to letters between Lana and Johnny, Lana wanted space. In a letter dated January 15, 1958, Lana wrote to Johnny, “You must let me alone in my own world for a while, to rest, think, rest, think… I need the time and a different place to funnel thru all the emotional turmoil I’ve been through.” Johnny had no intention of giving her the space she requested. He wanted to marry. Johnny wrote to Lana, “Let me prove that you and I belong together.” In another letter he wrote, “Every second of every day since you have been gone, I’ve thought of nothing but you and your kisses.” Johnny persuaded Lana’s 14-year-old daughter Cheryl to help convince Lana to marry him. On a letter dated April 3, 1958, Cheryl wrote to Johnny, “I just got your letter this morning because I was home for the weekend. How have you been? …When are you all coming back? Soon, I Hope. Mother and I really had a wonderful time in Europe.” She ended the letter, “Love ya and miss ya loads, Cherie.” She only had a short time to wait.
On the following day, April 4, Cheryl and Lana were at their home in Beverly Hills when Johnny stopped by for another attempt at convincing Lana to rekindle their romance and marry him. Johnny’s sweetness quickly turned to rage when he realized she could not be convinced. Johnny grabbed Lana and shook here while he cursed and threatened her. Cheryl heard Johnny yell, “I’ll get you if it takes a day, a week, or a year. I’ll cut your face up. I’ll stomp you. And if I can’t do it myself, I’ll find somebody who will.” As Johnny continued his tirade over Lana, Cheryl grabbed a 10-inch butcher knife and sank it to the hilt into Johnny’s abdomen. He died moments later. Cheryl was not prosecuted because a coroner’s jury deemed the killing a justifiable homicide. Mob boss Mickey Cohen linked Johnny’s death back to the altercation in which Thomas disarmed Johnny in a move similar to what we would expect to see in a James Bond film. Well, Thomas eventually became James Bond. His full name was Thomas Sean Connery.
Sources:
1. San Francisco Chronicle, October 1, 1957, p.25.
2. Berwick, PA., Enterprise, October 15, 1957, p.4.
3. The New London, Connecticut Evening Day, January 4, 1948, p.16.
4. The Akron Beacon Journal, April 5, 1958, p.1.
5. The Oregonian, April 11, 1958, p.10.
6. Los Angeles Times, April 12, 1958, p.1.
February 11 marks the birthday of one of the most influential voices in modern music history: Whitney Houston. Born on this date in 1963, Houston’s impact on pop culture extends far beyond record sales, reshaping the sound of popular music and redefining what vocal excellence looked like for generations that followed.
Rising to fame in the mid-1980s, Houston quickly became a cultural force. Her 1985 self-titled debut album produced multiple chart-topping singles and introduced audiences to a voice that blended pop accessibility with gospel power. At a time when female pop artists were often boxed into narrow roles, Houston crossed genres effortlessly, finding success on pop, R&B, adult contemporary, and international charts simultaneously.
Her influence wasn’t limited to music. Houston’s presence on television and in film helped expand representation in mainstream entertainment. Her starring role in The Bodyguard (1992) cemented her status as a crossover superstar, while the film’s soundtrack became one of the best-selling albums of all time. Songs like “I Will Always Love You” became cultural touchstones, played at weddings, graduations, sporting events, and moments of public mourning.
February 11 also invites reflection on Houston’s broader cultural legacy. She broke barriers for Black women in pop music during an era when radio formats were more rigidly segregated. Her success opened doors for countless artists who followed, including Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson, and Adele, all of whom have cited Houston as a major influence.
Even decades after her peak, Houston’s voice remains a benchmark. Viral clips of her live performances continue to circulate online, often sparking renewed appreciation from younger audiences discovering her for the first time. Vocal coaches, music critics, and fans alike frequently reference her control, tone, and emotional delivery as unmatched.
While Houston’s life also included public struggles, her artistic legacy continues to overshadow controversy. Each year on February 11, fans around the world revisit her catalog, celebrate her achievements, and reflect on how deeply her music is woven into shared cultural memory.
In an industry that constantly evolves, Whitney Houston’s voice remains timeless — and February 11 serves as a reminder of the day one of pop culture’s greatest legends was born.